Revelations
by Stitchious
Summary: The war is over but surprises are around the corner. He is the son of Lily and James Potter...or is he. Things are changing and Harry is standing in the doorway to a new life. A choice has to be made, does he embrace it or turn away in fear of the unknown. Can the unloved chance the opportunity to be loved. Rated T for safety
1. This is how it begins

A/N: This is an AU story in I suppose quite a big way, some of the events of the original HP series are kept others are not, the reason for this is that quite simply I picked and choose the parts I felt would be relevant for this story line, also I disagree with some aspects of the books and well if you don't like how a story is going then why not change it to suit your own needs, we are writers after all liberties with characters have been taken. I have a vague awareness of where this story is going, but it could of course change directions as I write it. I am aware that this type of story has been done before (what type of storyline for this series hasn't!) I am not intending to copy any others stories and if I have made any similarities they are purely accidental, if you find I have then please send me a link to the story and I will endeavor to correct this should they prove to be majorly similar. Constructive criticism is welcomed, flames will just serve to keep me warm when it's cold . I own nothing except OC's. Hope you enjoy – Stitch

"In war, you win or lose, live or die - and the difference is just an eyelash."

~ Douglas MacArthur

It was understandably a shock. The irony was not lost on him at all. The parchment in his hand held limply. If this was someone's idea of a joke…well it was in very poor taste. At sixteen years of age (barely) Harry Potter had seen his share of sadness, felt quite strongly the longing for family, seen violence beyond imagine. Family he thought, it all come back to family. Had he been at Privet drive this whole situation would have most likely ended with him being sore for days, not sat staring off lost in thought. The war however that he had been training for since his second year when at a mere eleven years of age he had faced Voldemort for the second time in his short existence, was over. Had been for some weeks now. There had been losses on both sides, casualties of war they called it in The Daily Prophet.

Harry frowned, the war was over and he could be a normal 16 year old, well as normal as he could be. He wondered as he thought about the war if it could have been any other way, a way that didn't involve fighting Voldemort at Hogwarts, risking the lives of children, innocents in it all, regardless of their house, for if he knew anything it was that houses meant nothing in the grand scheme of things. He thought over that day and those leading up to it and sighed.

 _****flashback****_

They had spent the summer as they had since third year and Sirius had been declared innocent, blood wards be damned after all what use are blood wards when they don't protect you from within. Sirius had paid a surprise visit the day he had been cleared and well, Albus Dumbledore was not a popular man that day as Sirius Black had found his nephew bruised and bleeding on the floor of his room. It had been quickly decided that Grimmuald Place would be more than secure for Harry to reside there from now on and so it came to be that the Dursley's reign of terror over their nephew ended and harry got a chance at a loving parental figure.

It was the summer after his fifth year and Voldemort had been back less than a year. The Order although at first disheartened at this given the mission they had been undertaking at the time, had rallied again with new determination. They had discovered in Harry's second year that Voldemort had made Horcruxes. It was how he had partially survived that night in Godric's Hollow when the killing curse sent at Harry had backfired. Harry had unwittingly found out when he had gone to see Dumbledore and discovered a small black diary on his desk; Lucius Malfoy had bought it to him, concerned by its dark aura. Harry smirked slightly at how shocked he had been to discover that Malfoy was a spy for Dumbledore, and had been since the first war. The diary had sung to him quite literally and when he had mentioned this fact to both men present, well they had been shocked and one quick spell later and their worst fears were confirmed, Harry Potter was a horcrux. Lucius had immediately contacted his wife, who despite her appearances was actually quite nice, and together they had discussed ways to rid Harry of his hitchhiker soul fragment. Harry had been relieved that Mrs. Malfoy was more than able to rid him of the soul fragment due to her family being descended from Asclepius son of Apollo. The ways of old and her being able to channel the old magic using the Asclepius' Rod, due to her ancestry made quick work of the soul fragment. With this knowledge in hand Dumbledore had dispatched several Order members to track down the remaining horcruxes. They had within the two year period of confirming the existence and Voldemort returning managed to uncover five horcruxes (six including the one within Harry that had been destroyed already) which they contained securely within Hogwarts, awaiting destruction. Lucius had obtained the Diary and the Cup of Helga Hufflepuff, which had been left for Lucius to safe keep along with other Dark Objects from various Death Eaters on their incarceration at Azkaban. Perhaps the most difficult one to find was the Diadem of Ravenclaw, which Voldemort had hidden in the Room Of Requirement. Lucius had heard of rumors that the object existed, somewhere in Hogwarts but not where. Luna was the cause of this discovery having heard rumors about the Diadem, she encouraged Harry to seek out Rowena Ravenclaw aka The Grey Lady and he managed to find out the Diadem's location, enabling Dumbledore to retrieve it, ready for destruction. Dumbledore himself learnt of the whereabouts of the Marvalo Gaunt's Ring and sent Severus and Lucius to retrieve it. The final horcrux they found was perhaps found in the most unusual way. Harry having been living at Grimmuald Place for some time now was trying to bond with Kreacher, Sirius' house elf. The elf was adamant that Sirius was a traitor and only when Harry took the time over summer during his fourth year, he got the elf to talk about his favourite Black family member, Regulus Black and he discovered that all was not as it seemed with the youngest Black son, who had in fact decided to break his ties with Voldemort and stole Salazar Slytherin's Locket from the cave where it had been hidden, leaving a fake in its place. He had given the locket to Kreacher and told him to destroy it, before his attempt to flee Voldemort, who found him and killed him. Harry assured Kreacher that he would see that the locket was destroyed and his master's goal finished and with this promise Kreacher had given the locket to Dumbledore for its destruction. It was the finding of this last horcrux that spurred the Order on and having determined that Nagini was possibly a Horcrux as well, the Order began plotting ways to separate her from her master. It mattered not however as by the end of the children's fifth year Voldemort would launch his final and fatal attack. One which would prove to be his mistake, made in desperation after feeling the destruction of his other horcruxes. It had been determined that they could be destroyed by Fiendfyre and thus the horcruxes were dispatched of quickly and efficiently, within months of Voldemort's return.

A lot had changed for Harry since his third year, he had gone to live with Sirius and in doing so been able to be himself. He had also developed his somewhat hidden friendship with Draco Malfoy, having discovered the year before that with the Malfoy family all was not how it seemed. Indeed Sirius was in secret the Godfather of Draco as well as Harry and the two had deemed themselves 'brothers'. In this friendship Harry and Draco discovered that besides a shared love for Quidditch they also both loved potions and with one Severus Snape not breathing down his neck, it was a surprise for Draco to find that the young Gryffindor was actually quite the natural. It was not unusual to find Harry to Sirius' surprise brewing in the lab which took up the whole of the Basement to Grimmauld Place at every given opportunity. Thus Harry steadily improved over the summers and was soon competing with Hermione and Draco for the top place in their year for potions. This of course didn't make dealing with Snape any easier as the man was difficult to please and still seemed to hold a grudge over Harry's father James, who as Sirius and Remus had told him had made Snape's life a living nightmare at school along with themselves. They had eventually grown up and apologized to Snape...well Sirius and Remus had, James not so much. Ron and Hermione too enjoyed a close friendship with Draco, once the air had been cleared over comments that both had made, and so it was the golden trio were secretly the golden four.

He had spent the summer following Voldemort's return at Grimmauld Place with Sirius, Remus and other members of the Order coming and going. Meetings where aplenty and secrecy was at its greatest as Winston Churchill once said "In wartime, truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies" and thus it was that the members of the Order kept their plans from the ever curious and as some would say interfering children that resided at Grimmauld Place for periods of time from days to weeks.

Occupied with his brewing, Quidditch and friends Harry found that the summer was whizzing by and so if he noticed the subtle changes that had been making themselves known in his appearance he easily explained them away or gave them no thought as he was simply too busy. It was easy to attribute his hair darkening to almost black and being somewhat greasy looking to the potions he was making on a daily basis, his somewhat pale complexion to could be passed off as a cause of long hours indoors. Other changes like the shape of his face well, everyone changes over time and maybe he was favouring more of Lily than James.


	2. Oh these plans that all fall down

A/N: Whilst I have some of this pre written I will update regularly, hopefully I can stay ahead of my posts and keep the updates flowing. Quotes are always referenced and there are some from the books, in particular the prophesy.

I don't own 'em, I just play with 'em and give 'em back after.

 **War grows out of the desire of the individual to gain advantage at the expense of his fellow man.**

 **~ Napoleon Hill**

September 1st was fast approaching and as was the norm the adults took the children to Diagon Alley for the yearly school trip. However this year it had been decided that the men and women would split and carry out set tasks so as to finish up quickly and get back to the safety of Grimmauld Place, as there was a Dark Lord on the loose after all. Harry found he did not mind this much and neither did the others as they had split according to interests and as long as they got to their favoured shops all was well.

They regrouped and travelled back to Grimmauld Place with their purchases, several books for Hermione, Quidditch paraphernalia for Ron and Harry in addition to his extra potions ingredients of which there were many.

Thus the start of school began and Harry found himself on the train to Hogwarts with his friends chatting somewhat excitedly about what they hoped to learn that year. They never imagined that the beginning week of June would see them fighting for the Order as the Battle of Hogwarts commenced, leaving destruction and devastation in its wake. It would take some time but when it was time for Hogwarts to start the new school year the school would be repaired and ready to receive students as normal, thanks to the dedication of many wizards and witches and Hogwarts herself.

It had started as a normal day for all concerned, being a weekend students where in their common rooms, library or on the grounds relaxing and studying for the end of year exams, which would commence the following week. And then chaos reigned, the wards around Hogwarts started to fall as hordes of Death Eaters attacked them. Albus Dumbledore felt the rumble pass through the castle and with a move that belayed his age, shot into action. House elves where sent to retrieve all those on the grounds to take them to the dungeons to join the students in years one through four. The corridors came alive as the students hurried to their designated places, the teachers convened in the courtyard to start casting a shield around Hogwarts and the Order members who had due to the information Malfoy and Snape had received, been staying on the third floor joined the teachers to defend the school. Professor McGonagall then turned back to Hogwarts and in a moment none would forget, called upon Hogwarts defenses using _Piertotum Locomotor_ the students who had remained to fight watched in awe as the stone soldiers posted around the school jumped to life and marched in defense of Hogwarts. With a grin McGonagall turned to Mrs. Weasley and smiled "I always wanted to use that spell". The defenses were in place and the intruders were slowly breaking through the shield cast. Neville and Seamus with Luna, Ginny and Lavender headed to the bridge to bring it down and cut off a point of access to the school on McGonagall's orders. Harry, Ron, Draco and Hermione were at the front slightly behind the Order and teachers ready to fight. All that was missing was Snape and Malfoy Sr, who were with Voldemort trying to get in place to kill Nagini and act as faithful followers. Their occlumency shields wrapped tightly around them, lest they give away their secrets at the last second. Unbeknownst to them Voldemort had already suspected the men and was waiting his chance to dispatch of them, waiting for the opportune moment when he could catch them off guard.

The wards fell and several things happened in quick succession. The Death Eaters stormed Hogwarts and in the Boathouse as Malfoy Sr. sent a well-cast _Fiendfyre_ at Nagini, Voldemort ordered her to attack Severus Snape and then Malfoy and as she hit her mark with Snape, within seconds she was writhing on the floor and finally dead, Voldemort missed this as he apparated to the courtyard to confront one Harry Potter, to prove once and for all that he was superior. Harry having seen this as an eventuality due to his rigorous training watched Voldemort apparate in, and quickly called for Kreacher.

He was not prepared for the scene he found in the boathouse. Severus Snape lay bleeding and poisoned by Nagini, the snake was dead and gone by this point. Lucius Malfoy crouched over his fallen friend tears streaming down his face as he watched the man succumbing to the venom running through his system and knowing he could not help, his hand pressed against the man's neck in an effort to stem the blood loss. Harry gasped and rushed forward, fumbling in his pockets for the antidote he had made months previous over the summer holiday, he had meant to give both men a vial each just in case but time had meant he couldn't make more than one. He pulled Lucius aside and quickly lifted the vial to Snape's lips urging him to drink. "I'm so sorry Snape, I should have warned you, oh Merlin, please let this work"

Lucius looked at the young boy and as he pulled back watched as his friend's breathing started to even out from the erratic pace it had held moment earlier. The blood flowing beneath his fingers slowed and as he felt it come to a halt he pulled his hand away. "Harry…what was that?" he gasped.

Harry turned and smiled weakly, "An antidote, Draco got the venom for me and I managed to brew the potion over the summer, I don't know how effective it will be but it should save him" the boy rambled. He turned to Kreacher and smiled weakly "Just in time, Kreacher, Please can you take him to Madam Pomfrey, tell her he was bitten by Nagini and given an antidote, here's the vial in case she needs it" Kreacher nodded and taking a firm but gentle hold of Snape he disappeared with a 'pop'.

"We should return to the others, Draco is with them" Harry spoke to Lucius and the man nodded before grabbing Harry tight and apparated them to the Courtyard.


	3. We all fall down

A/N: Hope your enjoying this so far, this is I should probably mention my first real attempt at HP fanfiction, I only hope I am doing the characters justice.

 **There is no avoiding war; it can only be postponed to the advantage of others.**

 **~ Niccolo Machiavelli**

It was a scene that none would forget, flashes of light flew everywhere as Death Eaters and their opponents sent hexes at each other. This was no time for softness this was it, live or die, fight or flight. This was it, the moment all his training had worked towards and there standing one the other side of the Courtyard a maniacal grin on his snake like face was Tom Marvalo Riddle. Harry saw him and as Snape had told him so many times in their training sessions, he trusted his instincts. His wand must be the one to defeat Tom and his alone, this was his Destiny and his fate, and it had been since that Halloween fourteen years ago. As the prophecy said _"The One with the power to vanquish The Dark Lord approaches"_ and approach he would. Giving one last look to his friends who were scattered fighting Harry broke into a run, dodging spells and rubble with the skills he had honed the last few years.

 _"You are the night time fear_

 _You are the morning when it's clear_

 _When it's over you're the start_

 _You're my head, you're my heart_

 _No light, no light in your bright blue eyes_

 _I never knew daylight could be so violent_

 _A revelation in the light of day_

 _You can't choose what stays and what fades away"_

He ducked the lump of stone that flew towards him and drew in a breath as he felt it whisper across his back. He had no time to stop though, his goal was close by, and he was nearly there, just a bit further.

 _"You want a revelation,_

 _You wanna get it right_

 _But it's a conversation,_

 _I just can't have tonight_

 _You want a revelation_

 _Some kind of resolution_

 _You want a revelation_

A stray spell flew past his ear and with his seeker reflexes he moved his head away from it, dodging it as easily as breathing. He saw Sirius fighting from the corner of his eye and watched as in slow motion as a curse flew at him and made its mark, Sirius fell to the ground a look of shock on his face, his body graceful as he hit the floor. Harry wanted to turn and go to his Godfather but he couldn't, he knew his task and if he deviated knew all would be lost. He caught a glimpse of Kreacher as he grabbed his Godfather and with a nod he was gone. It all seemed to happen in long minutes but was actually seconds. Harry pushed forward, he was close.

 _No light, no light in your bright blue eyes_

 _I never knew daylight could be so violent_

 _A revelation in the light of day,_

 _You can't choose what stays and what fades away"_

He came to halt just in front of him, he hadn't seen him yet, the debris flying around, the spells flying overhead had all kept him somewhat hidden from his foe as he twisted, turned, ducked and jumped around transversing his path with the grace and agility of a panther, but now oh how he would make the man in front of him pay, he would be everything he had to be, he would avenge his parents, he would make this right.

"Let's end this here Tom, you and me as it was always meant to be" he said with a confidence that he did not quite feel. His ability to occlude hid this though, his mask was in place and was full of cocky arrogance in the face of the man who had cost him so much. He could only hope Sirius was ok as he pushed his mask into place.

"Well well….Harry Potter, come to fight like a man at last, tell me… Harry Potter…, How does it feel knowing you are about to die?" the man hissed at him, quickly recovering from the shock of finding his quarry in front of him.

As one they lifted there wands and as before their spells hit at the same time, fighting as they melded to be the one to push the others spell back first. Red met Green and the spells were fused fighting and pulsing, ones power against the others. Harry pushed all his love for his friends and family into his spell and watched as Tom struggled to keep the deathly green light going. They were determined and around them the battles were forgotten as Death Eaters watched in disbelief as their Lord seemed to struggle against the Boy-Who-Lived. The Order watched as Harry pushed the light back further and further, they held their breath and finally Harry sent one last jolt of power through his wand.

Tom Marvalo Riddle gasped in surprise as he felt his wand start to crack with the strain, and then in a blinding flash of light his spell once more backfired through his mangled wand. A flash of green and he knew no more as he flew backwards and hit the ground. Tom Marvalo Riddle once more had cast the Killing Curse at Harry Potter and once more the Boy-Who-Lived survived.

He remembered lowering his wand and feeling a weight lift, he had done it and he had lived to tell the tale. With a sigh he felt his body start to lower and felt arms catch him as his knees buckled. With the smell of Lemon Drops invading his senses and whispered "you did it my boy, you did it" he let his body and mind succumb to the darkness and as he surrendered to the darkness his last thought was "I'm free"

A/N: Song used is Florence and The Machine – No Light, No Light. I used this song as when I was writing this chapter I had it playing and could see Harry in my head as he ran across the courtyard and dodged spells and debris.


	4. From The Ashes We Will Rise

A/N: This is flowing quite well so far, I will say though that liberties have been taken in regards to healing and magic. I don't believe that every ill can be healed over night, I think that like with muggles, the process would be slow if the damage was bad enough. Anyway hope you still enjoying this - Stitch

" _ **Swear allegiance to the flag**_

 _ **Whatever flag they offer**_

 _ **Never hint at what you really feel**_

 _ **Teach the children quietly**_

 _ **For some day sons and daughters**_

 _ **Will rise up and fight while we stood still"**_

 _ **~ Mike and the mechanics**_

He awoke hours later in the Hospital Wing. Groaning he fumbled for his glasses and took in his surroundings.

Remus stood against the far wall looking weary, Tonks stood beside him leaning on him, and both were conversing quietly with Lucius and Narcissa. Draco, Ron and Hermione were in chairs surrounding his bed, all three out for the count. Snape was lay in a bed at the far end, he had colour in him as much as Snape ever could, but he was not awake yet. Harry could only hope he had managed to get to him in time, he had meant to give both Snape and Lucius the antidote just in case, but everything had happened so fast that he hadn't the chance when it came down to it. Harry looked at the bed next to him and saw Sirius and felt his heart still a second as he took in the pasty complexion of his Godfather. His chest was rising and falling, but he didn't look good and Harry only hoped that he would be ok. Friends both close and not so close were scattered about him and Harry mentally checked off faces in his mind as he saw them; Fred, George, Percy, Bill, Charlie, Luna, Neville (and his Gran) Seamus, Dean and Ginny were all there and looked as good as they could with what had gone on. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were both present fussing over their awake children (with much protest from said children) Dumbledore was talking to Moody, Flitwick, McGonagall, Sprout, Hagrid and the Minister, Harry thought with a jolt and briefly wondered if he should feign sleep. Harry wondered what the cost had been and sighed softly, every war had a casualty, there was no way about it, he had seen several of his year mates fall as he had crossed the Court Yard on his way to Tom (he refused to call him by that stupid moniker now, as far as Harry was concerned, he had fought Tom and defeated Tom). He let sleep claim him again and knew no more till he awoke some several hours later to a much calmer Hospital Wing. Draco, Hermione, Ron, Remus, Tonks, Narcissa and Lucius were still there. However it was Remus, Lucius and Narcissa at his bedside now the others being in beds. Harry suspected the worse of the students had been sent to St. Mungos to be treated. He reached again for his glasses and he struggled to sit up and threw Madam Pomfrey a small smile as she noticed him and came over.

"Mr. Potter, how are you feeling? That was quite the feat you know." She smiled warmly at the boy she had always had a soft spot for, even more so after his third year when Sirius had bought him to the Hospital Wing and she discovered that the boy had been abused so badly by his so-called loving relatives.

"I'm fine Ma'am, How's Sirius and Professor Snape? Did the antidote work? How many did we…" he broke off, he wanted to know how many casualties they had suffered but he couldn't ask, he wasn't able to form the words.

With a sigh she looked at him and wondered again how much this child must suffer for the greater good, how much more should be placed on his shoulders. "Sirius is in a coma, the spell that hit him was particularly nasty I'm afraid…he may be need some time to recover, if he can indeed, only time will tell. As for Professor Snape, your antidote worked well and neutralized the venom in his system, he too is in a coma but I expect after a few months he should wake. Time is a great healer Mr. Potter…..we lost a fair few" her voice cracked "but we saved a great deal more and they fought with honor and knew exactly what they were doing when they went against that monster, don't you forget that Mr. Potter, it's better to die on our feet than live on our knees, don't ever forget that. We lost far fewer than his followers, they were the highest casualty." She sighed and knew in her heart that although the cost had been high, the few they had lost had been brave and knew what they were fighting against, they had helped turn the tide and they would be forever remembered for the part they played in this blasted war against the mad man.

Harry nodded and allowed the tears for the fallen to flow, they had fought bravely and with honor and he knew deep down that she was right, they would indeed live on their feet and the ones they had lost had helped bring that about. "Thank you Ma'am…I…Thank you" he couldn't talk past the lump in his throat anymore and just nodded at the witch that had patched him up so many times before.

Harry closed his eyes and seconds later was enveloped in a hug. He opened his eyes and relaxed against Narcissa Malfoy and sobbed onto her shoulder, for the people they had lost along the way and the lives that had been forever changed. He knew she had been a good friend of his moms and had regaled him with many a story about the fiery witch from their school days. He sighed and buried his head in her shoulder, just letting himself be held. "Aunty Cissy, I … is it really over?" he could hardly believe it was.

Narcissa Malfoy held her best friends child close and whispered comfortingly to him, it would all be ok, they would all be ok, they no longer had to pretend now, and they could be the family they had always been in secret. She felt her eyes tear up, they had lost so many along the way, she had missed this precious child grow into the young man he was today and all because a maniac wanted to rule the world and had decided that the child in her arms was the only obstacle in his way.

No one knew how long they stayed like that, it could have been hours, and it could have been minutes. When they pulled apart Harry was quickly engulfed in a hug from his Uncle Lucius and then Draco, Ron and Hermione. The latter lasted longer and was slightly more than a hug between friends, but if anyone noticed they said nothing. Harry relaxed back against his pillows, his Aunty Cissy had his hand in a comforting grip and as they told him of what he had missed, Harry Potter felt only one thing: Relief. It was finally over, the remaining Death Eaters had been caught in the hours since Tom's defeat and Lucius had given the aurors several names they had not been aware of. As he drifted off to sleep later that morning Harry felt peace at last. Yes they had lost many, yes the cost had been, but would have been high and he couldn't change that, just like he couldn't bring back his parents, but it was done now and he was finally free to live his life. Or so he thought.

He had left the hospital wing the following day after sitting beside both Snape and Sirius, both were heroes in his eyes and both were brave men. The Minister had been informed of Snape's and Lucius' duties and vouched for by Dumbledore. Dumbledore had visited Harry and expressed his thanks that Harry had fought like he had and hadn't waivered. He had then offered him an assistant position for Defense Against the Dark Arts which would be taught in September by Remus once more (Snape had never wanted the position it had been a ruse for Tom) and Harry once confirming Remus had accepted and the position was no longer cursed, had accepted. He would be dropping Divination thus freeing up his time for his assistant position. The details would be worked out later, but Harry would eventually teach the first to third years. It was strange being in charge of his own destiny after so long, and Harry found himself wondering if maybe he could get his mastery in Potions like he had wanted….he would have to talk to Professor Snape about it when he was well again. With a heart that was so much lighter than it had been so much earlier that morning, Harry finally left the Hospital wing with his Aunt and Uncle, they would be staying at Grimmauld Place as there was room aplenty and Harry wanted to hide away for a while which wouldn't be possible anywhere else. He knew he would have to face the public eventually but for now he wanted to go home, he only hoped that Sirius would follow soon.

 _****End Flashback****_


	5. A letter from the grave

**A/N: Sorry for not posting a while, have been struggling with where to with this story a bit. Hopefully this will turn out the way I see it in my head. Hope you enjoy.**

"Harry, you are so loved. Mama loves you. Dada loves you. Harry, be safe. Be strong."

~ Lily Evans

It had been two months since Sirius had fallen into a coma and Snape had been bitten by Nagini. Neither had woken yet and Harry wondered when they would. Snape was making progress, he had been told that the man was healing nicely and they didn't expect to have to keep him under much longer, the muscle damage that had been done was being reversed, they had had to go slowly though lest they overload his system. The antidote Harry had made was good but the delay had allowed some pretty extensive damage to be done, a few minutes longer and he would have been too late. His heart had been compromised by the venom and they had to fix that first, they couldn't use some of the potions together due to the adverse reactions they could have. However Harry knew his heart had healed extremely well and today he should be starting the potions to heal the rest of his body. Pomfrey had said he would make a full recovery. Severus Snape should be awake within the next few months and Harry was looking forward to seeing the real man behind the mask.

Sirius was still in the coma, but his wasn't induced by the Healers, his was as a result of the spell he had been cursed with. It was slow going but he had made progress and should be awake within a few weeks. They had witnessed him fighting for consciousness and were looking forward to having him with them again. Grimmauld Place just wasn't the same. Kreacher it would seem, was just as concerned about his Master.

Both men would live and for that Harry was immensely grateful.

Harry sighed as he looked back at the parchment held in his hand. He was alone for the first time in weeks and was somewhat grateful for that. He needed to gather his thoughts because if what he was reading was right then well, he wasn't sure how the news would be received and he knew that he couldn't let it be known just yet.

" _Mr. Potter,_

 _First I want to thank you for what you did for the Wizarding World. We are all immensely grateful to be free once and for all from that mad man._

 _I know you are probably wondering what is going on and I only ask that you at least take measures to confirm what I say before you dismiss this letter as the ramblings of an old lady. You see my daughter knew of your mother when she was at school, they may not have been friends but they knew of each other. She also knew Severus Snape very well, not whilst in school, but well some years later. It always surprised her that your mother had suddenly dissolved her engagement with Severus Snape and well it was as it was. Your mother turned to James Potter and they married a short time later"_

Harry frowned as he raised an eyebrow, he knew things had never been right between Snape and his dad but he never knew that his mother had once been engaged to his professor. When he had read this he had wondered what had caused his mother to turn to James Potter and well, maybe now he knew.

" _It was not two years later that they died that fateful night and left you an orphan. However I suspect that may not have been the case. You see my daughter had a child four years ago, a child that she hid from his father for fear of what could happen, we always feared He Who Must Not Be Named would return and my daughter would not allow her child to be drawn into the war, she wanted to protect her unborn child so she hid. She knew you see about Severus Snape being a spy and she knew he would be called back into His service when he returned and she realized the danger that would pose for her child and the man she had come to care for, and so she proposed to hide away with her child. She said she finally understood why your mother did what she did and she would do the same, except there was no James Potter for her to turn to. The child I have placed in the box on your doorstep is your brother I fear and I am an old woman who can no longer care for a four year old and his mother has been gone these past three years. She never saw her child's face, she never saw him grow to be the gentle loving child he is today, you see she had a bleed in the brain the night she gave birth to him and a year later they said all hope was gone and we had to let her go. She told me of his father and the name she wished her child to have so I was able to honor that, but I am no longer able to honor her wish for me to raise him. I have not much time left myself and by the time you find me I shall most likely be gone from this world and on to the next adventure. I'm sure you have many questions and I'm sure your wondering how I could see your home. Well I was once privy to the Order's headquarters when I was still able to be and thus I was able to leave to you and your father if it so turns out to be, my last treasure, my grandson. Take care of my Jayden and see right by him until his father recovers enough to take him. His full name is Jayden Severus Snape and he is truly a joy, he has grown up knowing you and I have told him that you will see right by him. I hope I have not caused you too much distress"_

No Harry thought not much, he snorted and shook his head, his dad may not have been James, and his mother may have hidden his parentage for his safety and his fathers? well it was easy enough to test he thought, the potion shouldn't be too difficult to brew.

" _I wish you all the best and bid you a farewell now and I will give you my name, it will appear once I have departed this world as I have charmed it to do so and not a moment before. Good luck Mr. Potter, I hope that if it is meant to be you do indeed have a father and brother to call your own."_

Harry looked over at the child asleep in the magically enhanced box. The irony he thought, left on a doorstep much like I was, he sighed "Well Jayden, at least you will have a happy home. What though am I to do with you when school resumes next week?" the child slept on unaware of the question hanging in the air and the worry of his possible brother who had only just turned sixteen the day before. "Happy Birthday to me" snorted Harry. At least we get an extra week till we start while they finish the last of the repairs.

He picked up the box, once again surprised by how light it was. The boy's grandmother was certainly good at charms he thought. Well no time like the present, may as well go to the basement and brew this potion. He took the boy, box and all with him, he wouldn't risk leaving him alone. "Kreacher" he called. The elf appeared "What can Kreacher be doing for young Master Harry sir?" he looked at the box curiously. "Kreacher can you watch this boy for me while I brew a potion, he's very important to me" Harry sighed softly, it was strange he thought, how quickly the boy had slotted into place as 'brother'. "Kreacher will gladly watch young Master Harry's young friend" the elf was certainly happier since the downfall of Tom Harry thought. "His name is Jayden, if he wakes and needs food or water please see that he gets it" With a nod Kreacher turned to the child and the elf thought with a soft smile, this child looked like his young Master Harry and also he frowned softly, like Severus Snape. Kreacher liked Severus Snape, the man was always kind.

Two hours later and the potion was done. Harry glanced at the child that was looking around the potions lab with interest. He had heard when he awoke and smiled as Kreacher had reassured him and got him food and a drink. Harry approached the child carefully "Hello Jayden, do you know who I am?"

The boy nodded, "Nana said she was leaving me with you for a while till my daddy was able to look after me" Harry smiled and held out his hand for the child to take, he did and Harry felt a gentle tingling of his magic, this he thought was his brother, he only needed the potion to confirm but this was his brother. "I have a potion over here and I need a very important ingredient from you…a hair, do you think you could help me?"

The boy nodded and Harry sighed with relief. They walked hand in hand over to the potion and harry apologetically pulled a couple of strands of Jayden's hair out to put in the potion and then stirred it three times clockwise, he then added his own and stirred it three times counter clockwise. "If it turns purple we are related distantly, if it turns royal blue then we are brothers…" Harry stared at the Royal blue potion. Well shit he thought, turns out James wasn't my father after all. Jayden stared at the potion "your my brother…really an' truly" Harry smiled at the hopeful face and nodded, "Yup really and truly" he smiled brightly and bottled the potion before cleaning the mess with a wave of his wand, turning he lifted his brother (and damn if that didn't cause his heart to clench) into his arms and walked up the stairs. "We can't tell anyone just yet, but soon we can ok?" Jayden nodded and hugged his new brother close. "It's a secret wight?" Harry grinned "Yeah, our secret for now" come on, lets sort out somewhere for you to sleep. We need to go and get you some clothes and stuff too, I have no idea how this will work…but it will work".

Harry entered his room and sighed softly, it had gotten quite messy in here lately. Shrugging to himself he shifted his brother's weight and flicked his wand, the mess righted itself at once, transforming the room to its normal appearance. In the time since Sirius and his father (wow it felt strange saying that) had been in their comas, he had really had no interest in keeping his room clean.

Jayden looked around the room with interest and giggled when the socks walked themselves to the wash basket. He missed his nana, but he knew why she had given him to his brother, she had told him how she was poorly and as much as she loved him, he deserved to be with his father and well as it turned out his brother as well.

Harry sat the boy on his bed and told him to stay there will he sorted out somewhere for him to sleep. In seconds a bed for Jayden was in the room across from his brothers, Harry was thankful that the room he occupied was so big otherwise he would have struggled. Once the bed was in place, Harry picked up the box that Kreacher had left on the floor and started taking several things out, it would seem that Jayden's nana had sent some clothes and toys for him to play with. He hung up the clothes in his wardrobe after transfiguring it into two separate ones, and scaling one down for Jayden. His toys and books found their way to low shelves so that they could be easily reached by the small boy. Lastly he picked up the well-loved dragon and placed it carefully on Jayden's bed. "What you think Jayden, think it will be comfy enough for you?" he smiled at the child who had been watching him in fascination. A nod a shy thank you made him grin. "Come on lets go get something to eat yeah?"

Together the brothers walked hand in hand down the stairs in to the living room. Harry had decided that Remus would have to be told, he would hopefully help, Remus would see how important this was, he just knew he would.

As he re-entered the living room Harry froze. There on the sofa with a piece of parchment in his hand was Remus Lupin, his face was white and he looked shocked. "Remus?" Harry asked softly, he had the letter from Jayden's nana in his hand. Harry gulped, he shouldn't have left that out. "Looks like we have to let Remus into our secret little brother" he said softly. Jayden looked at him and grinned, huh guess we get our smile from our dad he thought.

Remus looked up and stared at Harry in shock, when he found the letter he had been shocked, he had always been suspicious of the way Lily had quickly turned to James and it turned out he had good reason to, he could understand though what she had done, but damn if it wasn't a shock seeing it in black and white all these years later and then the proof in front of him, for no one could deny the two boys in front of him were related. He cleared his throat, "whilst at school, your brother can stay in my quarters, we will tell people what we need to, I... I am sorry Harry, whilst I had my suspicions I never knew for sure and with the war and the risk of Tom…I couldn't risk you both like that" he only hoped the child he had come to love dearly would understand.

Harry smiled "It's really ok Remus, honest, it was a shock but its good…don't get me wrong I love you and Sirius so much, but I always wanted a dad and siblings and well, I have that now, I don't know how he will react but well at least I know they are out there now. I... thank you for the offer, I was worried how we would work this. This solves most of our problems. Just need to go shopping now" Harry grinned, he needed to buy his brother a broom.

Remus grinned as he stood "a broom for your brother on that list? Hello Jayden, I'm Remus, a friend of your brothers, you will be staying with me while your brother goes to classes till your daddy is better"

Jayden grinned "Lo Remus, your nice, I like you" he did thought Jayden, he missed his nana, but well his brother and his friend were real nice and he was getting a broom!

With a laugh the three went to the floo to call Lucius over. Introductions later and a paternity spell on both Harry and Jayden confirmed that the boy's father was indeed one Severus Snape. Lucius had also bought an envelope with him that had been left in his care for Harry once the war was over, Lily had told him he would know when it was time to give him the letter. Harry sat down with Jayden curled up beside him listening to stories of their father (felt good to think and say that) while he read his letter from his mother.

" _My dear baby boy,_

 _If you're reading this then I have passed through the veil and I suspect James too. I am so sorry I couldn't stay with you my child, know that I loved you very much and wanted to, but it wasn't possible. If you are reading this then I have sacrificed myself for you as I planned to, my last act of love for my perfect child. There is so much I wanted to do for you and I have missed it. There is one last thing though Harrison, I must tell you about your father. He is not as the world believes James Potter, I know that what I had to do to ensure your safety and your fathers was drastic and it caused such a rift between James and your father after they had begun to be good friends. It could not be helped though, no one else would be believable. Your father my son is Severus Tobias Snape, he is a good man, he holds my heart and always will, I love you both so much, it hurts to be apart but know that he will be a fantastic father to you and love you dearly once he knows the truth. I left a similar letter with Uncle Lucius for him to explain why I did what I did. It was the most difficult thing I ever had to do Harrison Severus Snape and I am so sorry you have been lied to. For you to be reading this means the war is over and your charmed birth certificate has reverted back to its original state, with your true name and your father's name. It is in my vault 415, the key is enclosed. This also means that if you haven't already started noticing changes in you appearance, you soon will. I had to place a glamour on you and it should finish breaking shortly after your 16_ _th_ _Birthday. James wants you to keep the Potter vault, you are his heir no matter your name or parentage and he will not have the vault taken from you. I hope that you and your father get to be together now my son. Remember Mommy Loves You Harrison, so, so much._

 _Take care my child, all my love,_

 _Mommy"_

Harry wiped the tears off his face and took a deep breath. He retrieved the key from the envelope and handed the letter to Remus and Lucius to read. It was some time before they spoke again, lost in thought of a brave woman who had given everything for her child and her one true love.


End file.
